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Livingston County, Illinois
Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 39,678. Its county seat is Pontiac. The Pontiac Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Livingston County. History Livingston was established on February 27, 1837. It was formed from parts of McLean, LaSalle, and Iroquois counties, and named after Edward Livingston, a prominent politician who was mayor of New York City and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives and Louisiana in both houses of Congress. He later served as Andrew Jackson's Secretary of State and as Minister to France. Although he had no connections to Illinois, the General Assembly found him accomplished enough to name a county after him. File:Livingston County Illinois 1837.png|Livingston County at the time of its creation in 1837 Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.84%) is land and (or 0.16%) is water. Major highways Adjacent counties *Grundy County - north *Kankakee County - northeast *Ford County - southeast *McLean County - southwest *Woodford County - west *LaSalle County - northwest Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 39,678 people, 14,374 households, and 9,946 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 15,297 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.32% White, 5.17% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 2.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35.6% were of German, 15.4% American, 12.4% Irish and 7.5% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.8% spoke English and 2.4% Spanish as their first language. There were 14,374 households out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $41,342, and the median income for a family was $47,958. Males had a median income of $36,414 versus $23,479 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,347. About 5.80% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over. Government and infrastructure The Illinois Department of Corrections operates two prisons in the county. Pontiac Correctional Center is located in Pontiac."Pontiac Correctional Center." Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 1, 2010. Pontiac houses the male death row. Prior to the January 11, 2003 commutation of death row sentences, male death row inmates were housed in Pontiac, Menard, and Tamms correctional centers."DOC Report Online." Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 1, 2010. Dwight Correctional Center is within Nevada Township in an unincorporated area in the county."Dwight village, Illinois." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 1, 2010."Dwight Correctional Center." Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 1, 2001. Dwight Correctional Center houses the State of Illinois female death row. Notable residents *Moira Harris - actress and wife of Gary Sinise. *Irene Hunt - Newbery Medal-winning author. *Donald Attig - businessman and adventurer. *Elwood Blues and 'Joliet' Jake Blues - fictional musicians and career criminals, portrayed by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi respectively. The main characters of The Blues Brothers movie were born in Dwight, Livingston County, Illinois Cities and towns Townships Livingston County is divided into thirty townships: Climate and weather }} In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Pontiac have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1927 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Livingston County, Illinois References Category:Counties of Illinois Category:Established in 1837 Category:Livingston County, Illinois